Fire of Love

"The man (or woman) who burns with the fire of divine love is a son (or daughter) of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and wherever he goes, he enkindles that flame; he desires and works with all his strength to inflame all men with the fire of God's love. Nothing deters him: he rejoices in poverty; he labours strenuously; he welcomes hardships; he laughs off false accusations; he rejoices in anguish. He thinks only of how he might follow Jesus Christ and imitate him by his prayers, his labours, his sufferings, and by caring always and only for the glory of God and the salvation of souls." -- St Anthony Mary Claret--

Melt Me

My honey ran off to the store to satisfy our sweet tooth and brought back cinnamon rolls.

And as if it wasn't rich enough I melted some butter to pour over the top.

In the Eucharistic chapel the next morning, it seemed a stereo was silently playing in my mind. I could hear a Welsh folk tune--the familiar children's lullaby "Sleep, my child, and peace attend thee, All through the night; Guardian angels God will send thee, All through the night."

Why the lullaby? Remembrances of rocking my own children with hopes of them sleeping in peace fleeted through the archives of my mind.

The songs faded and now words silent, just spoken interiorly, proposed this sweet invitation: "I want to hold you, rock you, comfort you as a mother does her child. I want to transport you  to a place of deeper rest in me."

"Why is that so important? Why such deep rest?" I questioned.

"Resting, not sleeping," I understood Him say. "It is a holy relaxation. Melt into Me. Out of this deep rest in me, I want you to live your life." I repeated this with whispering lips.

My mind responded, "Then I need to enter into the rest each morning...I need to listen, to hear what You say, otherwise there'll be no deep rest in You."

The image of butter on the cinnamon roll came back and how I melted it to pour over the top. If I had stuck a little slab of cold butter on, it wouldn't have been as delicious. It was the melting that enabled me to pour out the liquid over the top. And that made it so good.

What happens when something melts? Molecules are moving--fast! When they're heated they absorb the thermal energy and start to vibrate. Energy increases when something melts.

Oh, wow! Do I start to vibrate when I melt into the Lord...when I sit in the heat of His presence? Isn't that the same thing that happens in His presence--the heat, the melting, the transforming, the enlightening, the energizing, the liquifying for the pouring out?

Look at the radiant light!

Draw me into your presence, O Lord, where I am melted so that I can be poured out for others. Amen!

Our Lady

“ Our Lady is calling us to make a decision for God. Because in Him is our peace. This world is not able to give us peace. That peace which the world offers us will very quickly disappoint us. That is why we must make a decision for God. That is why we must accept these treasures which are eternal. He alone is not temporary. Everything else is passing. We are on this earth only as pilgrims. We are on a journey. That is why we must make a decision. We must decide to walk the right way.”   Ivan Dragicevic

Anxiety

"Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but only empties today of its strength."  Charles Spurgeon

Dear friends,

Let us remember that we can be protected from anxiety and receive God's peace, but we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Rm 12: 2

We can not entertain thoughts that make us anxious, but rather we need to resist them. We must, instead, think on these things... "whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy..." Phil 4: 8.

And we need to enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Ps 100: 4

With a renewed mind, a heart of thanksgiving, and a mouth filled with praise we will be protected from anxiety and live each day in His peace.

Anxiety is a subtle, or not so subtle, tactic of the enemy. It leads us into sorrow, and we know better-- it's the joy of the Lord that gives us strength. Neh 8: 10

Grace & peace be with you,

Sheila

Pope Benedict's January Missionary Intention

That the dedication of Christians to peace may bear witness to the name of Christ before all men and women of good will.

Grant Us Peace

Lamb of God,

You take away

the sins of the world:

Dona Nobis Pacem

Grace is Enough

In today's reading from 1 Samuel 16 1: 13 we hear the story about David being chosen from all of Jesse's sons and anointed as king. It was not Jesse's firstborn son as some might have expected; it was his youngest, David, so it took many by surprise since he was simply "tending the sheep."

How consoling to understand through this story that God's order of grace transcends all political, social and financial orders of society. God will choose whomever He wants "for the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart."

His grace is enough. 2 Cor 12: 9

May the Spirit of the Lord come mightily upon you as "upon David from that day forward."